Israel has retrieved the physique of a Thai nationwide taken hostage throughout the Hamas-led assault in October 2023, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says.
He mentioned the physique of Nattapong Pinta was retrieved throughout a particular operation within the Rafah space of southern Gaza on Friday. The 35-year-old was working as an agricultural labourer in southern Israel when he was kidnapped.
Mr Nattapong is more likely to have been killed throughout his first months of captivity, an Israeli army official mentioned. Earlier than the operation, it was not recognized whether or not he was lifeless or alive.
It comes after the Israeli military recovered the our bodies of two Israeli Individuals in Gaza earlier this week.
Mr Nattapong was the married father of a younger son, the army official mentioned. He had been working at Kibbutz Nir Oz to help his household in Thailand when he was captured by a militant group known as the Mujahideen Brigades.
The Israel Protection Forces mentioned in an announcement that the mission to get well his physique was launched following data from the interrogation of a “captured terrorist”.
After reviews of his restoration on Saturday, the BBC tried to succeed in out to Mr Nattapong’s spouse. She didn’t reply the decision however texted again with an image of her son crying.
The Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board marketing campaign group mentioned the restoration comes after “20 horrible and agonising months of devastating uncertainty”.
The group urged the Israeli authorities to succeed in an settlement with Hamas to free the remaining captives.
Mr Nattapong is believed to be the final remaining Thai nationwide kidnapped throughout the 7 October 2023 assault. 5 Thai hostages have been released during a ceasefire earlier this year – all of them alive.
The Israeli military retrieved the our bodies of an aged couple, Judy and Gadi Haggai, within the Gazan metropolis of Khan Younis on Thursday.
The couple have been killed on the identical kibbutz and their our bodies have been additionally held by the Mujahideen Brigades, in accordance with the IDF.
Israel launched a army marketing campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border assault nearly 20 months in the past, through which about 1,200 folks have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage.
Some 54 of these captured throughout the assault stay in captivity, together with 31 the Israeli army says are lifeless.
No less than 54,677 folks have been killed in Gaza throughout the conflict, in accordance with the territory’s well being ministry.
